1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera and a film winding mechanism used in the camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the film winding mechanism used for the automatic film loading device in cameras of prior art, a patrone containing chamber and a film take-up spool are located at both sides of a photographing opening formed in a camera body, and both the chamber and the spool are arranged frontside of a film passage extending between the chamber and the spool and opposing the opening. And, the leading end of a film extending through the film passage from the patrone contained in the chamber is first loaded onto the peripheral surface of a film take-up spool by utilizing engaging pawls formed on the peripheral surface of the film take-up spool to engage with the perforations of the film or by utilizing the surface friction of the rubber mounted on the peripheral surface of the spool.
However, in such film winding mechanism of prior art the location of the patrone containing chamber and the film take-up spool makes the size of the camera body in the width direction thereof enlarge, so that a holding balance of the camera is deteriorated when a relatively long lens barrel such as for a telephoto shot is equipped with the camera. Further the leading end of film must be relatively correctly located on a specified position to perform exactly the automatic loading, which has made the film loading in a camera troublesome.